International Development

Joining us on the blog today is fellow MIDP student, Felipe Urrego Gonzalez. Felipe reflects on what it means to ‘develop’ and encourages us to debate whether development is always the answer. When I think about development I automatically think about vulnerable communities. I think about how to reduce the gap between them and us. I think about how we can help them to improve their standard of living, their level of democracy, their wealth, … Read more…

The International Studies Association 58th Annual Convention was held in Baltimore, Maryland from February 22nd – 25th, 2017. It was organised by the International Studies Association, a premier organization promoting research activities since 1959 through connecting scholars and practitioners in the field of international studies. The theme of the convention was “Understanding Change in World Politics”. The theme resonated with the current political climate in America which impacted the participation of some of the potential attendees … Read more…

For our fourth segment of On the Record, our Managing Editor, Kathy Hofilena, talks about Indigenous knowledge and their relationship to the environment. She also invites us to reflect on Indigenous Rights based on her experience in the Philippines, as well as considering the danger of appropriation and exploiting local knowledge. Q. Can you describe what is happening in this picture? A. 2 years ago, a couple of friends and I were invited to visit … Read more…

My story began very unremarkably: I applied for a last minute internship opportunity with Oxfam’s gender justice unit that had been created as a result of the Oxfam-Monash partnership. I emailed back with my CV within a few minutes (thank you email notifications!), and was eventually shortlisted for an interview with Kim Henderson, Oxfam’s gender justice lead. I was pretty nervous, but the interview ended up being a casual chat over a coffee in a … Read more…

For our second segment of On the Record, our Marketing and Partnerships Officer, Javier Icaza Santos reflects on what discrimination means to him, how it affects us on a daily basis, and what that means for development programs. This week’s topic was chosen to honour the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Q. Why did you take this picture? A. When you asked me to take a picture about discrimination I really did … Read more…

Visualising Solidarity: Forging everyday humanitarianism through public representations of development Prof. Uma Kothari Since the 1980s there has been a vast proliferation of campaigns, charity adverts, musical movements, fair trade marketing, celebrity endorsements and media promotions to support humanitarian causes. More recently, we have witnessed a growth in the role of visual media in guiding diverse publics on how they might perceive and act upon calls for a shared responsibility. Foundational to the success of … Read more…

In the 1980s Robert Chambers introduced a participatory approach to development: an approach that gets the development practitioner involved and engaged with the community and the individuals that are being ‘developed’. This approach also acknowledges that within the local community there is knowledge that can be valuable but that knowledge can be difficult to express. Therefore it is important that this knowledge becomes accessible in some way, such as from participatory methods. Anthropological Participation … Read more…

Do you know that feeling? When you have learnt something and you want to try to do it by yourself so badly. Like when you know how to dance, you just cannot control your body and keep moving all the time. Well, that is how I felt about to finish my first year of MIDP study. I was like the fledgling who wanted to challenge the sky. I believed that I was ready for the … Read more…

This month I traveled to Mongolia and was completely blown away by the beauty and grace of the land and the people. I have never been anywhere like it, in fact, I do not believe there is anywhere like it. The strongest emotion I felt when leaving was one of concern, that the rich nomadic culture would soon be engulfed by Western modernisation. But then I checked myself, is it even my place to consider … Read more…

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MIDPA

Monash International Development Practice Association (MIDPA) is a university student run organisation. This blog will be used as an online platform for students to share ideas and critically analyse development standards and practices in an open format. We encourage discussion around current topics and development issues!